Hurlshort

You must have skipped a lot of the side material. That's really sad. If it is possible to beat in 7 hours, I imagine rushing through it like that would be pretty boring.

Doping is pretty bad for you, this might have contributed to his pre-existing medical condition.

LotR Online has dealt with a fairly low magic setting, and they've done so very creatively. Most of the folks who try to generalize all MMO's as fitting one formula haven't played enough of them to really know what they are talking about.

Last night I arrived in San Diego after about a 14 hour drive. We parked our RV in front of my sister's house the day before for a holiday visit. Then I woke up at 6:00 AM, took a 1 minute shower, and hit the road while my wife and daughter slept in the back. It was pretty fun, but I was pretty wiped out when we arrived. We did take a lot of breaks to let the little one stretch her legs. She was pretty miserable for the last 30 miles, but we covered 450 miles. So today we just relaxed and watched movies. Tomorrow we are going to the San Diego Zoo.

I've really enjoyed Fable 2. But it's very similar to the original, just expanded a bit. If you disliked the original, you won't like this one. It's an action adventure game in most ways, and the setting is very fun. If you've read Charles Dickens, then you will enjoy the fact the setting is clearly based off his works.

EVE Online is a successful MMO, and you have the same developers. It is really way too early to tell how good WoDo will be, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Also, just because some people on this forum don't like MMO's, doesn't mean there aren't a plethora of good ones out there. It just isn't your cup of tea, get over it. In the last few years I've had a blast playing the following MMO's, all of which vary quite a bit: World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Vanguard, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and Tabula Rasa. Only Tabula Rasa has failed, although Vanguard looked close to death for a bit. Vanguard is actually one of the better ones I've played, it's incredibly large and complex. It's just not as focused as the others.

I think it's more that Bethesda wanted to force a certain ending for dramatic effect than any sinister DLC agenda. They were probably shocked at the backlash of that choice and are looking to address it quickly.

Actually the last two years have really revived my interest in RPG's. Fallout 3, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Mask of the Betrayer have all been high caliber games that sparked my interest. Fallout 3 is also one I can see myself going back to over the years, and that's rare. These games also seem to be commercial successes, which in many ways is the bigger deal than just being a solid RPG. That means we will see more of them being developed, and a few more risks taken in the genre, which can lead to new and inventive game design. But honestly, it's human nature to hold certain periods in your life up on a pedestal. We got some great titles out of the Black Isle days, but the gaming world has moved on. A lot has changed since then, and we aren't going back. What is it you miss exactly from those older games? Is it the story? The writing? The characters?

I know you said "if", but is GTA4 really that good to merit such a comparison? Have yet to play that one too, so... I don't put Once Upon a Time in America all that high on my all-time list. It's a great movie, definitely fits the epic mold, but I didn't compare GTA4 to The Godfather for a reason.

Saint's Row 2 - Most comprehensive character creation I've ever seen. There are about a dozen different ways to have your character walk. So far it's fun. It's a lot like the previous GTA's, good fun and mayhem to be had. If GTA4 is "Once Upon a Time in America" then Saint's Row 2 is "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka".

And a Happy New Year! I'm waiting for my wife and daughter to wake up. I've never been able to sleep well on Chritmas Eve.

I'd much rather wake up next to Titan Quest than Diablo 2

Nightshape, your logic spits in the face of our misplaced sense of entitlement! Knock it off

I'd like to see a few US teams move to Canada, or at least somewhere that hockey is popular. In the US, I think Kansas City, Seattle, and Portland could support an NHL team. I don't know enough about Canadien cities. Although Nashville is the biggest crime in my mind, because they've been a good hockey club over the years and no one goes to watch them. I understand why no one goes to watch the Islanders anymore.

That's what an RV is for. Seconded. Although GD would need a pretty hefty rig for his 25 dogs.

If I reall, the 2nd DLC (or perhaps it is the 1st) is going to change that and make it so you can continue to play after the main quest like fo 1/2. Going to up the max lvl as well. Yeah.... bloody "nice" of them - charging for something that should have been in the original game from the beginning. There is an awful lot of game already there, I find it a bit hard to complain about the amount on content (sure, you ca complain about quality of content.) I have no problem paying for DLC's because you have developers working on the product after it's been released already, and they deserve to be paid for their work. It's also a bit cheaper and faster than a full expansion.

Once you download a game from Steam, do you ever have to authorize it again? Can you download it on as many PC's as you want?

Today I watched "Deliverance" while wrapping presents for two hours. It wasn't the most festive movie, but I had never seen it before. Definitely an interesting flick. They did seem to make a lot of bad decisions though.

ME and KotOR are the same game.

Psh, Oblivion with dinosaurs.

That's what you get for having a 5,000 watt power supply.

Maybe that was sarcasm, but PC games always were a huge hassle to get running. Heck, that's how I learned about computers, by spending hours in DOS trying to get the right combination of cryptic astrological signs so my games would actually run. If anything, consoles have gotten worse. I used to be able to just blow into my games to get them to work on the NES. My 360 is a lot more complicated to trouble shoot.

taks and Xard totally ruined my awesome thread.

I like conclusion 4 the best. Reincarnation for the win!

You can make the argument that the US has come a long way in the discrimination of homosexuals, but you are really stretching it. Gay people have never been enslaved, but segregation and subjugation are much tougher cases to prove. Gay people are segregated around the country. They have two choices, hide the fact that they are gay or move to an area more tolerant. This country used to have separate locker rooms for minorities, but have you heard the testimonials of gay athletes? They keep their identity secret because they know there is no law that will protect them in that locker room. Even the term gay is thrown out as an insult. People barely notice when a slur is made about someone's sexual orientation. Racial slurs, on the other hand, are much more taboo and can even get you prosecuted. And it's not about the bedroom, it's not about sex. Just like my relationship with my wife isn't about the sex or the bedroom. That's a minor part of my life. You've been married, and I know it didn't go well, but did you get married just because you wanted sex? I'm guessing no, it was probably more about building and sharing a life with a person. Can you imagine if you couldn't put up pictures of that person at work, if you couldn't talk about your partner with anyone else? That's what a lot of gay people go through every day. We aren't close to equality here. There needs to be a complete shift in perception, just like there has been with race over the last 50 years.